Starz won't re-elect 'Boss'

The "Boss" wasn't powerful enough to keep his Starz series on the air.

Kelsey Grammer won a Golden Globe for his role in the series as fictional Chicago Mayor Tom Kane, a ruthless survivor in the cutthroat world of city and Illinois politics.

"After much deliberation, we have made the difficult decision to not proceed with 'Boss,'"Starz said in a statement Tuesday. "We remain proud of this award-winning show, its exceptional cast and writers, and are grateful to Kelsey Grammer, Farhad Safinia and our partners at Lionsgate TV."

Things didn't look good for the Chicago-set and -filmed series from the start of its second season. Ratings for the premiere earned just half of the viewers as the series premiere a year earlier. While repeat and On-Demand viewings helped its numbers, they weren't enough to save it.

A source at Starz tells me that discussions for a two-hour conclusion to the series are underway, but there's no deal yet. "[That's] a bit far off," my source said.

"Boss" joins the ranks of cancelled Chicago-filmed shows such as "The Playboy Club" and "The Chicago Code." Fox's "The Mob Doctor" is still fiming locally but not likely to return after its initial 13 episodes. NBC's "Chicago Fire" has been picked up for a full season, and is currently filming here. Showtime's "Shameless" still films exteriors here, and MTV is airing the first season of "Underemployed," which was filmed here this summer.

Fox's "The Mob Doctor" is likely to join "Boss" in the cancelled heap. It's wrapping up filming the first season now, but it isn't likely to come back after its initial 13-episode order.Want more? Discuss this article and others on Show Patrol's Facebook page.